‘Vaccination is critical:’ Contagious, deadly rabbit disease rises again in Washington

A highly contagious and deadly rabbit disease has been confirmed in Washington.

According to a news release from the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Friday, the state veterinarian’s office confirmed Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus type 2 (RHDV2), was found in rabbits on Lopez and Orcas Islands.

The rabbits were tested at the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Washington State University (WSU) on Thursday and the results came back positive for the disease.

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The WSDA reported RHDV2 killed hundreds of feral domestic and domestic rabbits in Island and Clallam counties in 2019. Before that, the disease was designated as a foreign animal disease (FAD).

“If FADs are detected, there are restrictions and emergency rules put into effect,” the news release stated. “Because of that outbreak, the virus is now considered stable-endemic, which means it already exists in the environment. Cyclic mortality events are not unexpected as the immunity of the rabbit population waxes and wanes.”

Therefore, the WSDA said because the disease now exists in the environment, officials won’t place extra restrictions or rules in place.

In 2022, Washington’s vet office authorized emergency use of the Medgene vaccine for RHDV2, which is now available to all state veterinarians.

WSDA said the vaccine must be administered by a Washington-licensed veterinarian.

“State Veterinarian Dr. Amber Itle is calling all rabbit owners to ask their veterinarians about the vaccine and to have their rabbits vaccinated as soon as possible,” the news release stated. “Due to the contagious and extremely infectious nature of this virus, vaccination is critical for disease control to protect our domestic and wild rabbit populations alike.”

Veterinarians also said to make sure rabbits do not encounter wild or domestic-feral rabbits, elevate their hutches or bring them inside.

“Remember to observe good biosecurity practices in addition to vaccinating your bunnies,” Itle said, according to the news release. “Be sure to isolate new additions for three weeks before commingling them with your colony and avoid contact of domestic and wild rabbits.”

What if a rabbit gets sick?

The WSDA said if an owned rabbit is believed to have died from RHDV2, double bag the body in plastic bags and refrigerate it until given more instructions, but do not freeze. Then, contact your veterinarian for owned domestic rabbits to determine if the sample should be submitted to the WSU laboratory for testing.

Always wear disposable gloves when handling a dead animal, dispose of them when done and wash your hands.

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To report any unusual mortality events in new geographic areas, outside of Lopez or Orcas Islands, call the WSDA at 360-902-1878 or email ahealth@agr.wa.gov. People can also report to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). To find the number for each regional WDFW office, visit the agency’s website.

Veterinarians who would like to order the vaccine should contact Medgene labs at 605-697-2600.

For more information on RHDV2, visit the WSDA’s website.

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.